By American Apostate ~ I n an online community such as Ex-C, an article like this one is necessary, in my opinion. I believe the webmaster published Mr. JRSD's article to invite good, constructive discussion about our beliefs or lack thereof. I felt it was an invitation for us to write up our rebuttals, as I am sure that when many of us came out to our friends and families, we received lectures just like Mr. JRSD's " You Make the Choice ." Let's begin. First off, Mr. JRSD, I don't know where you go to church either, nor do I care to, but just because you have never heard a preacher stand in the pulpit and tell his congregation not to question his teaching, doesn't mean that it's not an unspoken rule. In my experience, I have had many preachers tell us to read the scriptures for ourselves. Question everything. Seek a deeper understanding of scripture. That is just what I did. That's what many of us ex- Christians had done before our deconvers...

By American Apostate ~ I used to have to robotically recite this mantra every Sunday for years. It wasn't until just before my deconversion that I'd really, REALLY thought about it. Was God good, ALL THE TIME? All one really had to do was open up his bible and read a couple pages to really doubt the veracity of this mindless mantra. What am I babbling on about, the Christian asks? The Atheists know where I'm going. Original sin. That's right. If Yahweh is oh so loving and such a good and perfect father, than explain this shit to me. Let me just give you a little analogy, so you can see what I see when I read this story: First off, I am a mom of 3 and a pharmacy student. I like to think of myself as a good mom. But as I read the story of original sin without the rose colored glasses of religion, I began to wonder. What if I had Yahweh's personality and this story played out like this..... Say we fast forward a couple years and I have my Doctorate and I sta...

By American Apostate ~ I must first start off by saying how grateful I am that this forum exists. I have been encouraged by the fact that I am not alone in this very personal journey. The fear, anxiety, and loneliness that accompanies walking away from a religion you've had your whole life can be overwhelming at times. It is during those times I have come here for encouragement, and keep the fear at bay.I have read many, many stories here, and now I feel confident enough to share mine. I was six years old when I first prayed the sinner's prayer. My family are Christians, so I became one too as soon as I understood that I was going to go to hell if I didn't accept Jesus into my heart. Seriously. That's what prompted me to do so that first time. I was taken to see this evangelical drama designed to "win souls" for the Lord. It was called, " Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames ." It was basically an anthology of stories featuring people disc...